Graham Chronofighter Oversize GMT Blue and Red

No small knobs on this watch, only a plunger and trigger

This watch is outsized for a simple reason. It comes from a range that was designed for World War II pilots. Flying at high altitudes, they found it difficult to manipulate small knobs and buttons. A large watch was just the right size for them. With time, these watches became popular beyond the flying fraternity. Over the years their dials have become larger. Its automatic movement is now housed in a 47 mm case.

The case is this large, in part, because of its surround dial, which would have been just a thin bezel on any other watch. But here, it is a 24 hour dial for the GMT hand—the fourth central hand of this watch. The surround dial is in two colours, which start and end at 6 and 18 hours. For most time zones, this is a convenient day/night demarcation. 

The chronograph has a central hand and its 30 minute counter is at 9 o’clock and small seconds counter is at 3 o’clock. The chronograph can be reset with the large knob, which is more like a plunger, at 10 o’clock. And to start/stop the chronograph you simply pull the trigger, which also guards the crown. Pulling the trigger to record lap times is perhaps the most alluring feature of this watch.

A small date counter would have looked out of place on such a big watch. Therefore, not only is the date counter a large double window, it is also prominently placed at 12 o’clock. And for a watch that is this big, most users say it is surprisingly light.

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Gagandeep Singh Sapra